Losing It All
by bklue18
Summary: 1832 France. What happens when Enjolras discovers that there is more to lose in his fight for change? (Enjolras/OC)
1. Chapter 1

"It's time to stand up and fight! It's time to show the king that we will no longer be at his will!"  
"We need to stand together and fight as one united France!"

As they continued, the crowd of students grew. Marius and Enjolras looked at each other for a brief second before they gave each other a nod to encourage each other to continue on.

"Join us!" Enjolras exclaimed  
"And change France!" Marius added

As the boys continued yelling out their hopes and dreams for a new France, a brunette dressed in a navy blue tailcoat and a pair of white pantaloons with a top hat, joined the gathering crowd.

Marius looked at the crowd and upon spotting the brunette, gave her a wide smile. The brunette smiled back just before looking at Enjolras. The brunette didn't know Enjolras personally but they had most of their classes together.

Just as the crowd got heated and started yelling out their support for the cause, the headmaster, who was on his way back to his office, stopped to dismiss the gathering.

"What is this?! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" The headmaster exclaimed

In an instant, everyone stopped yelling and fell silent.

"All of you! Back to class!" The headmaster bellowed

As everyone hurriedly and frightenedly started to walk back to class, so did Enjolras and Marius.

"Not so fast, Monsieurs." The headmaster said, looking at the two boys.

Seeing the two boys being held back by the headmaster, the brunette decided to wait by the side.

"I don't know what the both of you are trying to achieve but this has to stop." The headmaster said, "What you are doing is treason against the king and the both of you could be executed!"

"Directeur, I know that you mean well. But, times are changing. It's time we stood up to the rich… Including the king." Enjolras said

The headmaster sighed and looked at Marius, "Monsieur Pontmercy, please talk some sense into your friend."

"I would love to, directeur. But, Enjolras is right." Marius said, "It's time for change."

The headmaster shook his head and said, "This is the first and last warning that I am giving the both of you. The next time I see the both of you staging a pre-revolution within my grounds, you will both face expulsion."

The two boys said nothing and the headmaster turned to walk away, knowing that he has made his point clear. As soon as the headmaster was a distance away, Marius looked to his left to see the brunette waiting for him.

He smiled at the brunette and made his way over with Enjolras following him.

"You came!" Marius said  
"Of course I did, Marius. As your friend, it's only right that I come to support you." The brunette said

Marius smiled before turning to Enjolras, who looked like he was deep in thought. He looked at the brunette before him and Marius, who was dressed in men's clothes but had feminine features which made him remember seeing this person in his classes before.

"Enjolras, I would like you to meet Gwenaël. He's been a friend of mine since we were children." Marius said

The golden haired boy looked at the brunette and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gwenaël."

Gwenaël gave him a polite nod, "Monsieur Enjolras."

When their eyes met, Enjolras couldn't help but feel that something was not right with this brunette. But, with other things on his mind, he brushed aside his thoughts.

"What did you think of the rally?" Marius asked, "Do you think it will work?"

Gwenaël nodded, "Definitely. The others agreed with you so it's a guaranteed."

Enjolras was about to put some spare brooches that he created for the rally into his satchel when Gwenaël reached over to take one from him. Upon the sudden touch of their hands, Enjolras could feel the smooth skin of the brunette's which set him thinking again.

"Viva la France." Gwenaël said, disrupting his train of thoughts.

Enjolras was slightly captivated by this brunette before him and was a little loss for words.

"Enjolras? Didn't you say you have to go to the library?" Marius asked

He snapped out of his trance and looked at Marius, "Yes. I'll see you later then."

Enjolras nodded and gave Gwenaël a polite nod before heading off to the library. After which, both Marius and Gwenaël headed out of the school.

The two of them walked in silence till they reached an inn, about 5 blocks away from the school. Marius waited outside while Gwenaël slipped in. He waited for about 10 minutes until Gwenaël emerged.

"Thank you, Maria."

Marius watched as the brunette that was dressed in men's clothes earlier, came out transformed into a beautiful brunette in a navy blue dress with long sleeves and a waist coat front, showing off the white piece underneath with a pink bow at the collar. Her top hat removed to show off her beautiful brunette hair, tied into a bun at the top.

"Stop staring, Marius." She said  
"You never fail to amaze me, _Gwenaëlle_." Marius said

She chuckled, "Hiding my feminine looks away just to study?"

"Yes." Marius said, "And your tireless efforts to come here everyday to protect your secret."

"Well, it's the only thing I can do without mama and papa knowing." Gwenaëlle said

The two of them started walking away from the inn as they continued their conversation.

"Aren't you afraid of slipping up?" Marius said  
"No. I have you and Maria to help me cover up." Gwenaëlle said, referring to the innkeeper's wife.  
"I know. But, Enjolras might find out soon enough. He's very bright." Marius said

She stopped and turned to Marius, "Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

She looked around before saying, "I'm starved. We should go find some food."

He half bowed and said, "Well, after you then, _mademoiselle_."

She did a small curtsy, "Merci, monsieur Marius."


	2. He Notices Her

"I do believe that your grandfather is going to find out about this one way or another."

Marius sighed inaudibly as he walked the street with his childhood friend, Gwenaëlle, towards the cafe where the students usually met. Normally, Marius would have gone alone but ever since his grandfather grew suspicious of his actions, he had to rope in the help of his friend.

"I know, Gwenaëlle. When I'm ready, I'll tell him myself." Marius said, "But for now, I need the help of my very beautiful and intelligent friend."

Gwenaëlle chuckled and put a hand to her chest in fake surprise, "Why, monsieur Marius! You really know how to make a girl blush!"

Marius laughed and Gwenaëlle joined in just as they reached the entrance of the cafe. The owner of the cafe looked at Marius in surprise, not expecting to see him with a lady friend.

"Good evening, Monsieur Marius." She said

Marius smiled and bowed just as Gwenaëlle curtsied.

"Good evening, Madame." Marius said, "Are they upstairs?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Send another round of drinks up. They're on me." Marius said

The cafe owner nodded and hurried on to start on the order while Marius and Gwenaëlle headed up the stairs, where the boys are.

* * *

"Ah! Marius! You're finally here!"  
"What took you so long?"

Enjolras looked up from his papers just as Marius entered with his lady friend. He stood up from his stool, surprised to see a female at their meeting.

"Marius!" Enjolras called out, "Can I speak to you?"

Marius looked at him and nodded just as he made his way over.

"What is it, Enjolras?" Marius asked  
"What did we say about females here?" Enjolras asked  
"I know, Enjolras. But, we are not in love or anything. She's a close friend." Marius said

Enjolras looked at Marius, waiting for him to continue because he wasn't going to take that as a reason for letting the girl stay.

Marius sighed, "My grandfather is growing suspicious of my late nights. So, she's here as my alibi."

Enjolras looked at Marius before looking at the girl who had seemingly gotten the attention of every boy in the room. Feeling himself lose focus, Enjolras quickly turned back to Marius.

"Alright. She can stay. But she has to promise not to tell anyone about this." Enjolras said  
"Don't worry. She won't." Marius said  
"How sure are you?" Enjolras asked

Marius merely smiled, "I trust her with my life."

Hearing that, Enjolras nodded and went back to his task at hand. Gwenaëlle managed to pull away from the boys as she went to look for a stool by the corner. As she passed Enjolras, she could feel him watching her. She looked at him only to know that she was right when he turned away quickly.

A part of her had longed for Enjolras to see her in her true form and not as the boy she had to pretend to be in school. And, this was probably as close as she can get.

* * *

Enjolras ended the meeting, proud that they've accomplished a few things on his agenda. He had to admit that some of the credit went to Gwenaëlle. Even though he wasn't one to judge a person by gender, he had to say that she was by far the most intelligent woman he has ever met.

As he cleared his papers, a page flew out and landed on the floor. Before Enjolras could reach out to get it, a hand stopped him from advancing. He let his eyes wander from the hand up to the face and his heart skipped a beat seeing who it was.

"I believe this is yours?" Gwenaëlle said, holding up the paper for Enjolras.

Realizing that he might be staring at her, he cleared his throat and hurriedly grabbed the page from her hand.

"Yes. Thank you." Enjolras said

Gwenaëlle smiled, "You're welcome."

"Aren't you headed for home?" Enjolras asked  
"Yes. But, Marius has decided to help Grantaire with something which renders me without transport until he is done." Gwenaëlle replied

"Ah." Enjolras said, "Marius is very helpful."

He put his papers into his bag before allowing himself to look at Gwenaëlle to ask a question that's been bugging him, despite Marius' denial.

"Are you and Marius together?" Enjolras asked

Jasmine laughed a little before saying, "No, we're not."

Enjolras felt a sense of relief but didn't allow himself to dwell on that for too long.

"Marius and I have been friends since we were children. I always had his back." Gwenaëlle said

"Oh, then you must know Gwenaël. He goes to our school." Enjolras said

Gwenaëlle was caught off guard by Enjolras' statement but she quickly regrouped her thoughts and answered.

"Why, yes. He's my twin brother!" Gwenaëlle said, "He couldn't come because he had some school work to finish."

"I see. Well, he should come next time." Enjolras said  
"I'll be sure to pass the message on." Gwenaëlle said

Enjolras gave her a small smile, "Well… I should be going. It is nice to meet you, Gwenaëlle."

"You too, monsieur Enjolras." She said

He gave her another small smile as he headed towards the stairs. But just before he descended to the lower level, he stopped and turned to Gwenaëlle.

"I hope to see you again at another meeting." Enjolras said, "You are quite remarkable."

Gwenaëlle felt her heart leap as she felt a rush of warmth in her cheeks. She gave him a smile and curtsied.

Enjolras smiled, "Good-night, Gwenaëlle."

She smiled back at his back as she called out, "Good-night, monsieur Enjolras."


	3. That Was A Close Shave

The next day, after class, Gwenaëlle was heading towards the inn to change out of her boy clothes when Enjolras caught up with her.

"Gwenaël!" Enjolras called

She stopped in her tracks and turned around just as Enjolras caught up with her, stopping in front of her.

"Thank goodness I caught up with you." Enjolras said  
"What can I do for you, Enjolras?" Gwenaëlle said  
"I was hoping you'll attend the next meeting we'll be having." Enjolras said

Gwenaëlle hesitated, unsure of how to construct a polite refusal of his invitation. But, before she could succeed, Enjolras spoke again.

"Do come for our next meeting." Enjolreas said, "It will be nice if you could bring your twin sister, Gwenaëlle too… She was quite remarkable at our last meeting."

"She was?" Gwenaëlle said, smiling.

Realizing that she was still in dressed as a boy, she hurriedly wiped the smile off her face.

"I mean, yes…" Gwenaëlle said, "She is. She's been reading a lot of my books."

Enjolras nodded and said, "I would really like for your input too."

"I'll consider then." Gwenaëlle said  
"That is more than enough of an answer for me." Enjolras said

He pat Gwenaëlle on the shoulder and said, "I look forward to seeing you this Wednesday night."

Gwenaëlle nodded just as Enjolras gave her a smile and headed off in the opposite direction. As soon as she felt that Enjolras was far enough, she let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Since Marius was doing some extra assignment for credit, Gwenaëlle headed to the inn to change by herself.

She smiled at Maria as she handed her boy clothes to her, "Merci, Maria."

"You're welcome, mademoiselle." Maria said

Gwenaëlle bid good-bye to Maria and walked out of the inn. Just as she turned from coming out the inn entrance, she bumped into Enjolras, who was on his way home and her books flew out of her hands and onto the ground.

"I'm so sorry-"

Seeing who it was, Gwenaëlle froze.

Enjolras looked up and smiled a little, "Gwenaëlle? What are you doing at this inn?"

Gwenaëlle looked behind her and turned back to Enjolras, "Oh! I'm here to see a friend!"

Enjolras had an expression on his face that could only tell Gwenaëlle that he wasn't exactly buying her story but he didn't want to be rude.

He looked at the ground and reached down to help pick up Gwenaëlle's books.

"Are these yours?" Enjolras asked

"Yes-I mean no… They are Gwenaël's." Gwenaëlle said, "He passed them to me when he went off to meet a girl."

Enjolras nodded and looked around before turning back to Gwenaëlle.

"You shouldn't be traveling around on your own." Enjolras said, "I'll send you home."

Knowing that she couldn't refuse Enjolras' help, she nodded.

* * *

They arrived at Gwenaëlle's home and Enjolras was taken aback by how big her house was. Seeing the look on his face made Gwenaëlle a little embarrassed. The last thing she wanted Enjolras to see was her house since all he had been fighting for was equality.

"Mademoiselle!"

Gwenaëlle looked up just as her maid, Emma, came out to receive her.

"Emma." Gwenaëlle said, "This is Enjolras. Gwenaël's friend."

Emma curtsied, "Monsieur."

She looked at the books and Enjolras handed them over to her.

"Put them in Gwenaël's room." Gwenaëlle said

Emma nodded, "Yes, mademoiselle."

She curtsied one more time before hurrying away with Gwenaëlle's books.

Gwenaëlle turned to Enjolras, "Thank you very much, monsieur Enjolras, for sending me home."

"It's my duty to ensure your safety." Enjolras said

They looked at each other for a while until Enjolras cleared his throat to break their eye contact.

"I should take my leave now." Enjolras said

Gwenaëlle nodded, "I should too."

Just as she headed towards the front door, Enjolras called her name.

"Yes?" She said

"I hope to see you at the next meeting." Enjolras said

Gwenaëlle smiled, "I won't miss it."


	4. Unwanted Proposition

Gwenaëlle smiled happily as she made her way up to her room after bidding Enjolras good-bye. She entered her room just as Emma was helping her to put away her school books.

Gwenaëlle sat down on the chair by her table and smiled as Emma looked at her worriedly.

"What's wrong, Emma?" Gwenaëlle asked  
"Mademoiselle… May I speak boldly?" Emma asked

Gwenaëlle chuckled, "Of course, Emma. You know you're always allowed to do so with me."

"Well… Mademoiselle… That was very scary." Emma said, "You almost got caught!"

"I know." Gwenaëlle said, "But I promise you, it will be the only time you'll get caught in that situation."

Emma nodded and closed the latch on the floor where Gwenaëlle's school books were kept.

"Has my parents returned yet?" Gwenaëlle asked

Emma shook her head, "Not that I've heard, mademoiselle."

Gwenaëlle nodded and let out a sigh of relief.

"Mademoiselle… May I speak boldly again?" Emma asked

"Emma… I already told you." Gwenaëlle said, "You don't have to ask again. We're all equals here."

"Thank you, mademoiselle." Emma said

Gwenaëlle gestured to her bed and Emma sat down.

"Mademoiselle, I think you need to consider stopping for awhile…" Emma said, "Your parents will be returning soon and I think that it would be unthinkable if they caught you."

"That wouldn't happen." Gwenaëlle said

"I know you are always careful, mademoiselle." Emma said, "But now that monsieur Enjolras knows where you live, he could come looking for Gwenaël."

Gwenaëlle nodded, "I understand your concern, Emma. But I promise you that won't happen."

She went over to sit next to Emma, "I'll make sure he doesn't come round without me knowing."

Emma nodded and just then, they heard a knock on Gwenaëlle's room door. Emma hurriedly stood up from her seat on the bed and hurried over to the door. She opened the door and to both of their surprise, there stood Gwenaëlle's mother.

"M-Mother!" Gwenaëlle exclaimed

Her mother smiled, "Gwenaëlle."

Seeing that she needed to leave, Emma curtsied to Gwenaëlle and her mother before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Gwenaëlle stood up from her seat on her bed and the two of them hugged.

Gwenaëlle's mother broke the hug and looked at her daughter, "You still look beautiful."

"Mother… You've only been gone a week." Gwenaëlle said  
"Yes… But it feels like a month!" Gwenaëlle's mother said  
"How was London?" Gwenaëlle asked  
"It was... Interesting." Her mother replied

Gwenaëlle laughed and instantly knew that her mother meant the opposite. Having come from America, her mother was one hard person to please.

"How about you?" Gwenaëlle's mother asked, "Have you been misbehaving when your father and I are not around?"

Gwenaëlle shook her head, "I've been on my best behaviour."

Her mother laughed and pat her hand before asking, "How's Marius?"

"He's good." Gwenaëlle said

"Alright then..." Gwenaëlle's mother said, "We should get ready for dinner."

"Father came back with you?" Gwenaëlle asked  
"Yes. He managed to finish his business in London." Her mother replied

Gwenaëlle nodded and her mother reminded her to get ready again before leaving her room.

* * *

During dinner, Gwenaëlle and her parents were eating quietly until her father spoke up.

"Gwenaëlle…" Her father said, "We need to talk about your future."

"What do you mean?" Gwenaëlle asked  
"You are not getting any younger and it's time you found a suitable husband." Her father replied

Gwenaëlle put down her cutleries, "Father… I like how it is right now."

"You know that is not an option, Gwenaëlle." Her father said, "How is the relationship between you and Marius?"

"Father, we are just friends." Gwenaëlle said, "There is nothing else between us."

"Well, if that's the case, we'll throw a ball to find you a suitable husband." Her father said

Gwenaëlle never felt more annoyed than she was in that moment.

"Father! I am not a prize to be won!" Gwenaëlle said

Her father looked at her, furious with the tone that Gwenaëlle was taking with him.

"Gwenaëlle, darling, your father is just looking out for you." Her mother intervened

She looked over at her mother and gave her a small, polite smile as she stood up from her seat at the table.

"I can't take another bite." Gwenaëlle said, "I'm full."

She looked at her parents, "Good-night."

Before her parents could stop her, Gwenaëlle walked off, headed to her room.

* * *

Once she left, her mother looked at her husband who went back to eating, even though she knew that he was furious with Gwenaëlle.

"I know you're angry with her." Her mother said

Her father looked at his wife, "I don't know what else to say, Genevieve... She's getting out of hand."

"Gerard, you know your daughter." Genevieve said, "You can't just tell her she needs to find a husband."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Gerard asked  
"Give her some time. She's still young. Let her come to the decision on her own." Genevieve replied

He looked at his wife, "I don't know what it is with you American women… You always have a way of making me agree with what you say."

"That's how you fell in love with me, isn't it?" Genevieve said

Her husband smiled and pat her hand on the table before they continued on with their dinner.


	5. Not Like Everyone

**Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates! Been busy at work!**

Gwenaëlle was getting ready to head to school when a knock sounded on her door. She put the finishing touches to her simple bun and looked just as the person came in.

"Mother?" Gwenaëlle said

Her mother smiled, "Good morning, darling."

She looked at her daughter, "You're dressed early… Are you not going to have breakfast?"

"Oh, I had Emma bring me some earlier." Gwenaëlle said  
"Where are you going?" Her mother asked  
"I was getting ready to meet Marius." Gwenaëlle said, knowing that it was half-true.  
"Oh.." Her mother said

Gwenaëlle looked at her mother, "Was there something you needed me to do?"

Just as her mother was about to speak, Emma opened the door a little wider, coming into the room with two of the books she needed for school. Gwenaëlle and Emma's eyes both met and with a slight shake of her head and Emma noticing another person in the room, she hurriedly backed away from the door.

"Gwenaëlle?" Her mother said

She quickly looked back at her mother, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could accompany me for the day." Her mother said, "Would Marius mind?"

"No…" Gwenaëlle said, "Not at all… I'll just ask Emma to let him know."

Her mother smiled, "That's wonderful. So, we'll have breakfast first before heading out for a walk."

Gwenaëlle nodded and her mother graced her daughter's cheek before heading out of her room. As soon as her mother was walking down the stairs, Gwenaëlle let out a sigh of relief. If her and Emma weren't alert, her mother would have found out about Gwenaëlle going to school.

Emma slipped back into Gwenaëlle's room just as she looked up.

"That was so close." Emma said  
"Yes, it was. But you were very alert, Emma." Gwenaëlle said  
"As were you, mademoiselle." Emma said  
"Emma, I need you to do me a favor." Gwenaëlle said  
"What is it?" Emma asked  
"I can't go to school today because mother wants me to accompany her.. So, I need you to help me pass the message along to Marius." Gwenaëlle said

Emma nodded, "Not a problem, mademoiselle. I'll go at once."

Gwenaëlle smiled, "Thank you, Emma."

Emma gave her another smile before heading out of the room.

* * *

After breakfast, Gwenaëlle and her mother headed out to do some shopping. Her mother had wanted to get her more dresses, so the first place they visited was the dress shop.

While her mother was helping her to decide what sort of dress design to get, Gwenaëlle stared out of the window in complete boredom. If she hadn't agreed to accompany her mother, she would have been at school, enjoying the lessons. Just as she was about to look back at the book of designs, she spotted a pretty brunette that had on a dirty, simple looking dress.

Looking back to see her mother not paying any attention to her, Gwenaëlle slipped out of the shop's entrance.

"Hello." Gwenaëlle said to the girl.

The girl stepped back a little, surprised that Gwenaëlle was talking to her. They were clearly of two different class and she had never once been that close to someone like Gwenaëlle; who came towards her willingly.

"Hi.." She said, cautiously.

Gwenaëlle smiled, "My name is Gwenaëlle. What's your name?"

The girl smiled back, "I'm Eponine."

"It's nice to meet you, Eponine." Gwenaëlle said

As she was about to say something else, she saw a change in Eponine's expression before the girl ran away. Gwenaëlle was a little stunned, unsure of what she had said wrong until she felt someone behind her.

Her mother.

"Who was that?" Her mother asked  
"It's a friend." Gwenaëlle replied

Her mother was a little taken aback by her daughter's answer but decided to let it pass for now.

"Well, we should get back in." Her mother said, "I've settled on a couple of designs for you."

Gwenaëlle merely nodded and walked in with her concerned mother following after.

* * *

It was time for lunch and since they were still not done with shopping, the two of them decided on having lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. The two of them were given a table by the window and as her mother was placing the order, Gwenaëlle was distracted by a scene outside.

A little boy with blond hair and dirty clothes, was being held by the collar by another larger looking man. The man had his hand held up, ready to strike the boy.

Gwenaëlle immediately leapt up from her seat, surprising both her mother and the waiter. Her mother called after her but she ignored her.

She ran towards the guy, "Stop!"

The man looked at Gwenaëlle, "Excuse me?"

"I said stop." Gwenaëlle said, "Let him go."

"No!" The man exclaimed, "This little rat stole from me!"

"If I pay you, it wouldn't be stealing, right?" She said

The man's grip on the little boy's collar started to loosen, "You're willing to pay for him?"

"Yes." Gwenaëlle said, "How much do I owe you?"

The man let go of the little boy completely and grinned at Gwenaëlle, "10 francs."

She took out 10 francs from the little coin pouch she carried with her and put it into the man's open palm.

"Pleasure doin' business with you, mademoiselle." He said

Gwenaëlle ignored him and turned to the little boy. Before she could get a word out, he ran off. She looked on for a little while before turning back to walk back into the restaurant.

She returned to where her mother was and sat back down.

"Gwenaëlle." Her mother said, "What was that all about?"

"The man was about to strike the boy." Gwenaëlle said, "So, I went out to stop him."

"That's not how a lady should behave." Her mother said  
"Mother… A lady's lifestyle isn't something that I will enjoy." Gwenaëlle said  
"What are you talking about?" Her mother said

"I want my life to mean something, mother." Gwenaëlle said, "I don't want to live as society wants me to."

She looked at her mother's helper and said, "Mary, accompany my mother, will you?"

Mary nodded and took a step forward before Gwenaëlle's mother stopped her.

"Gwenaëlle… Where are you going?" Her mother asked  
"I need some time alone, mother. I'm sorry but I can't accompany you for the rest of the day." Gwenaëlle replied

She stood up and walked out of the restaurant.

Mary looked at her employer, "Mademoiselle, would you like me to send someone to watch mademoiselle Gwenaëlle?"

She shook her head, "No. Let's give her some time to herself."


End file.
